Lisa J Thompson
Did you know that the humidity of your gun safe can affect the performance of your weapon? Too much moisture will corrode metal and cause rust, while too little moisture might prevent corrosion. A question that has been raised is, “what should the humidity be in a gun safe?”
Read on to find out how to measure and control the humidity levels in your gun safe!
What Should The Humidity Be In A Gun Safe?
The National Rifle Association reports that the ideal humidity level for safe gun storage is around 50% at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Until now, many people may be concerned about how much humidity in a gun safe can possibly cause problems?
Well, when it becomes too dry (below 20%), your gun stocks will shrink and crack due to a lack of moisture in the air. You probably don’t need to worry about it if you live in the appropriate temperature conditions in which condensation can begin on metal.
However, if you live near the sea where salt sprays your house, mostly your guns may rust through quickly, owing to high humidity and moisture conditions. Therfore, make sure to give special care and attention to your guns by using dehumidifiers and desiccants to monitor the humidity level in your house.
Check: Best Gun Safe Dehumidifier
What should the humidity be in a gun safe?
Why Should We Care About Humidity In A Gun Safe?
Here are several reasons why we should care about the humidity level in a gun safe:
- Ammunition stored in your old gun safe may become damaged if the surrounding area is too humid.
- Keep in mind that extreme humidity can attract mold to grow. This can cause decay and damage to the interior parts of your gun safe.
- High humidity outside and inside the safe may lead to the build-up of rust. When you use a cleaner, it will be impossible for you to remove all of the accumulated rust from your gun safe over time, which can cause considerable damage to its future performance.
- If the moisture damages your gun, it will do the same to your documents and jewelry stored in your safe.
- The high level of humidity can cause damage to your electronics and other valuable items like watches or hard devices.
- If you’re considering storing your gun collection, having a dehumidifier is extremely crucial. Keeping water out of the equation not only ensures that none of your prized possessions rust but also keeps them safe from other damage.
Dehumidifiers are easy to operate and can be used during long periods between dry cleaning sessions or even an entire year without needing maintenance at all!
- Moisture can have highly damaging effects on wood items. If you own a piece made out of wood, it could warp or crack if exposed to too much moisture in the air.
How Can We Control The Humidity In A Gun Safe?
This section will introduce some methods for you to carry out this task.
EvaDry Canister
The EvaDry canister is the most suggested product for this purpose because of its unique moisture-absorbing crystals that turn pink when they’re ready for one night’s recharging. It comes in different sizes to be used safely, so it will work wherever you need it.
EvaDry canister
Electrical Rod
To reduce the humidity and maintain it at a safe level, we should place an electrical rod (dehumidifier rod) inside our safes. The dehumidifier will warm up the air to circulate throughout your entire safe, which helps keep moisture levels low and prevent any dampness from occurring within its walls.
As an alternative for those who might not have access to or funds to purchase this device, you can always use rice instead.
Silica gel
When you buy a new pair of shoes, one thing that is usually inside the box with your shoe purchase is actually something called silica gel. You might not have known it at first as they don’t serve any purpose to you, but its usefulness will become clearer if we take some time to look at it.
Silica gel can absorb moisture from its surroundings, and it helps prevent rusting of metals like iron or steel.
Silica gel
Desiccant Gun Safe Dehumidifiers
The canister in these dehumidifiers contains special crystals with an extremely high absorption rate to extract the humidity from the air. Canisters come in a variety of sizes that fit inside any sized safe. Their design is completely customizable to suit your needs, and there are no harmful chemicals used during the recycling process.
These beads are typically blue, but their color will turn pink when they absorb too much moisture from the air. A small window on the front of this canister eliminates guesswork with a color-changing display that shows when you should be drying it.
When the crystals turn pink, that means you need to charge them again. Like dipping a sponge into the water after it has already soaked up as much water as possible, this signals that your device can no longer absorb any moisture.
You simply take out the crystals from the safe and pop in a built-in plug on the back or bottom when this occurs. Then connect it directly into a wall socket overnight, and it will be ready for you to use again in the next morning.
Mini Dehumidifiers
Mini dehumidifiers are the perfect solution for protecting your gun safe from excess moisture. They are small enough to fit in any size of handgun locker, but they still can absorb all that extra humidity.
Mini-dehumidifier
Rice
A bowl of rice can help monitor the humidity inside a safe, which is effective and economical. It is considered one of the cheapest ways to control humidity in safety deposit boxes.
Rice is the cheapest way to control humidity in safety deposit boxes.
What’s The Best Choice For Controlling Humidity In A Gun Safe?
To keep guns dry, use the appropriate dehumidifier depending on storage size. A hunter’s bag or a sealed go-bag with our Desiccant Pouches will be enough to protect against moisture for smaller safes and storage spaces like a safe.
For larger gun rooms and cabinets, small mini dehumidifiers work well with paper documents and firearms equally.
If you are a collector who wants to use your gun rack or converted humidor for storage, we recommend getting the petite dehumidifier. It is strong enough to work in larger spaces like sheds and bathrooms.
What Is The Best Place To Keep the Gun Safe To Control Humidity?
Closet
The best place to put a gun safe is in the closet, where it has little humidity and a low risk of fire or theft. If you do not have enough space like a garage, placing one in a bedroom can also work well.
No matter where you choose to store your gun safe, keep it away from heat sources such as heating vents so that everything inside stays cool during the summer months.
Basement
The basement is another ideal place to keep the gun safe, but it is important to note certain risks. The humidity and temperature levels inside basements often fluctuate due to weather patterns or external factors like water leaks from flooding outside.
What Are The Tips To Keep Your Gun Safe Cool?
There are some basic tips to keep your gun in a safe:
- Do not put anything unnecessary or valuable in the safe.
- To prevent humidity from building up in the safe, you should open its doors for a few hours.
- It will be great to keep your gun clean and looking new by wiping and polishing its walls and racks.
- With a fan, you can lower the moisture inside of the safe and blow it away.
By following these tips, surely you will keep the humidity inside your safe at an appropriate level.
Final Thoughts
Until these last words, you’ve undoubtedly reached the useful information about the topic “What should the humidity be in a gun safe?”. Now, you’ve known that the humidity should be around 20 – 50% and have a consistent temperature of 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the humidity in your gun safe is high, consider some suggestions above to keep your gun in good condition. Best of luck!
